The high school cheerleader accused of stealing $147 from several children last week was released Wednesday night on bond.
Chelsea Alexa Steele, 17, had been at the Cobb County jail since Saturday, when she was arrested on charges of robbery and underage possession of alcohol. Her bond had been set at $5,000.
Police say Steele approached several girls, including one confined to a wheelchair, who were selling Fourth of July items outside a community pool on Sandy Plains Road in Marietta.
The father of one of the girls said Steele, a cheerleader at Sprayberry High School, acted as if she was interested in buying something.
"She [Steele] spoke to me and said 'how sweet' when I explained to her what the kids were doing," said Joe Green, whose two daughters helped organize the sale. "I walk away from the table and then she grabbed the money."
Green said he realized what had happened when he heard the children shouting that the money had been taken.
Police say Steele fled the St. Charles Square subdivision with three other teenage girls in a white Ford Taurus. Some of the children later identified Steele as the suspect.
Investigators this week identified the three girls who were in the car with Steele. They interviewed the teens, but have not decided whether to file charges.
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